


Tequila Sunset

by LadyBrettAshley



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blow Jobs, Body Shots, Comedy, Dirty Talk, Drinking, Drunken Flirting, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Hair-pulling, Hot tub touching, One round of truth or dare... kinda, Penis paraphernalia, Public Cunnilingus, Romance, Smut, Stories from a Bachelorette Party, Talking about cheating, Teasing, Touching, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, more drinking, past poe/rey, pool day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:15:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25405243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBrettAshley/pseuds/LadyBrettAshley
Summary: Rey returns from a weekend away to find her apartment complex has a new tenant. He's handsome and tall and she can’t help but be drawn to him. However, her ex has managed to befriend him first. While that doesn't bother her too much, she can only hope it won't deter him during the group's pool day....thankfully, it doesn't seem to as they start playing their own secret game of "who can tease whom harder?"
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 23
Kudos: 179





	1. New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The bachelorette was to be expected… penises everywhere. Penis straws, penis balloons, penis wrapping paper... I swear, I saw so many cartoon penises this weekend, that I think I’ve forgotten what a real one looks like.” Ben swallowed as she turned her attention to him, looking him up and down rather quickly before extending a small hand. “Hi, I’m Rey.”
> 
> “Ben,” he laughed, walking towards her and shaking her hand, his eyes wide.

Ben Solo ran a hand through his black hair and shut his car door, laughing as his new friend recanted a story from the previous night. They walked side by side, plastic bags filled with towels, sheets, and red plastic cups hanging from Ben's hands. His new neighbor, Poe, carried on, laughing himself as he reiterated that he indeed got a bullseye, and it wasn’t his fault the steel-tip dart didn’t stick.

Making friends was never one of Ben’s strengths. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; rather, his towering height and naturally quiet nature intimidated people. He really only had a handful of people who were close to him prior to packing up his life and moving, but losing them gave him the reason that he needed to leave and start over. Finding himself in a brand new city knowing no one, Ben was relieved when the two men across the hall offered to help him unload some of the heavier boxes from his moving truck Thursday night. He paid them in beer, and they stuck around for the evening, playing video games on Ben’s 75-inch TV.

The living room had been empty, except for the TV and PlayStation console, but the guys across the hall didn’t seem to mind. Ben was grateful to have company on his first night in his new apartment, and they played on the living room floor until well past midnight. When they left, he mentioned that his furniture would be delivered in a couple of days, if they were interested in a rematch. “Absolutely,” Poe said. “And on Fridays, we always hit up this bar down the street called Pepper’s for happy hour. You should come with tomorrow.” Poe’s roommate, Finn, nodded enthusiastically.

And that was that. They were friends. The hardest part was over. And he was grateful for that.

A Sunday evening breeze shook Ben from his thoughts as they carried on toward Building Four of their apartment complex. Poe swore under his breath when he realized he forgot his cell phone in the car, and headed back with Ben’s keys. Ben stopped in his tracks, waiting on the sidewalk when he noticed a girl quite a bit ahead of him, headed toward his building. With two fingers, she dropped her black sunglasses from their perch on the top of her head to rest on the bridge of her nose, her brown hair falling around her face as a result. She spun her keys around her pointer finger and caught them, repeating the motion as she walked swiftly across the hot pavement, her flip-flops clapping against her heels with each step.

She appeared to journey via muscle memory, barely seeming to pay any attention to where she was going. Her long, toned legs carried her flawlessly; she appeared to float. Her lower back was exposed, her white tank ended a couple of inches above the waistband of her shorts. It said something on the back, but he couldn’t quite make it out. That, or he couldn’t stop staring at her legs long enough to focus on the words. Her ripped denim shorts rode up slightly as she took the concrete steps two at a time, one hand on her back pocket, clutching her phone and ensuring its safety.

“Got it, sorry about that,” Poe said, catching up to Ben, and they resumed walking.

Side by side, they scaled the same set of stairs as the mystery girl to the second floor. Poe reached into his pocket, retrieving his keys once they’d reached the landing and shoved his key into the door, turning it with ease as he found the door to be unlocked. Poe mumbled something about Finn forgetting to lock the door and threw it open.

Ben followed Poe into his apartment and had to do a double take in the direction of the kitchen. The pair of long, tan legs were standing at Poe’s kitchen counter. He followed them up to some faded denim shorts, two crescent moons of ass cheeks peeking out from under the fabric. He recognized her instantly as the girl from downstairs. She was bent over the kitchen counter, her forearms pressed to the granite counter top, her phone in her hands. She stood up straight at the sound of the door, and her shorts unfortunately gained an inch or two of length, covering her ass. She turned around, her cell phone in one hand, and beamed.

“Hey Rey,” Poe said casually as he padded over to her and gave her a hug. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and he pulled her to him, his forearms coming into contact with the exposed skin of her lower back. Lucky bastard. “How was the bachelorette party? Did you put all that penis paraphernalia to good use?” He turned to Ben. “She had bags of penis shit stored at my house for weeks leading up to this thing.”

Ben stood on the opposite side of the room, staring at her still. Her crop top rose up even higher until she released Poe from the hug.

“The bachelorette was to be expected… penises everywhere. Penis straws, penis balloons, penis wrapping paper... I swear, I saw so many cartoon penises this weekend, that I think I’ve forgotten what a real one looks like.” Ben swallowed as she turned her attention to him, looking him up and down rather quickly before extending a small hand. “Hi, I’m Rey.”

“Ben,” he laughed, walking towards her and shaking her hand, his eyes wide.

“Yeah, this is Ben. He moved in across the hall while you guys were gone,” Poe explained. “Like the day you left.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Ben. Please don’t judge me by the first thing you heard me say. I threw a bachelorette party for our friend this weekend. I don’t always include penis decorations at parties.”

Ben nodded. “Nice to meet you, too. And hey, I get it. It’s a right of passage.”

Rey laughed. “A rather unfortunate one.” It was then he noticed her crop top read, Final Fling Before the Ring. “Matching t-shirts,” she explained, noticing him looking at her shirt. “It was a whole big thing.”

Ben couldn’t believe how beautiful this girl was just standing so casually talking about penises in the apartment across from his. He certainly wasn’t offended, as he knew how bachelorette parties could be, but there was something about her. He wondered how Poe knew her. Or why she had a key. Ben didn’t think Rey’s name was mentioned other than in passing while he was hanging out with Poe and Finn, but Ben knew that if she was Poe’s girlfriend, he was going to have to punch Poe in the face for how he behaved at the bar the other night. At least, that’s not how Ben would behave if he had a girlfriend who looked like Rey.

“Listen, we were about to head to Pepper’s in an hour-ish… do you wanna come?” Poe asked Rey.

She scoffed. “I cannot possibly see the inside of a bar for at least a week, so you guys have fun. But hey, I have some penis straws leftover- wanna take some?” She looked between the two men.

Poe spoke first, “Yeah, I think we’re good on that one. Well, what are you up to tonight?”

Rey shrugged, her crop top lifting with her shoulders ever so slightly. Ben noticed it though. “I dunno. Can I hang out here? I really don’t want to be at home tonight.”

“Why?” Ben asked, deciding he should assist in propelling the conversation further, rather than stare at her stupidly from across the room.

Rey inhaled. “Well, I live with Rose, that’s who the bachelorette was for this weekend. Rose is engaged to Poe’s roommate, Finn.”

“He knows Finn,” Poe said. “We’ve been hanging out all weekend.”

“Oh, right, I forget everyone wasn’t in Penis Land this weekend.” Poe and Ben shot matching looks of disgust at her. “So, the second we stepped into our apartment, Finn showed up, and now they’re reassuring each other how much they missed each other… and rather loudly, might I add. So I just dropped my bag on my bed and literally came straight here because after the weekend I had, I can’t listen to that all night.”

“Did you at least bring over leftover alcohol from the weekend?” Poe asked as Rey abandoned her post, heading for the refrigerator. She opened the door.

“What is leftover alcohol?” Rey asked, causing Ben to laugh. She looked at him and beamed, clearly proud of herself for her little joke. Her nose scrunched. It was adorable. Ben watched her legs as she bent forward, more of her low back exposing itself from under her crop top. The small curves of her ass cheeks poked out from under her jean shorts again as she reached further back into the fridge. “But to answer your question, no, I just grabbed my earmuffs, threw them on and came here.” Ben laughed again as she plopped three beers on Poe’s kitchen counter and looked directly at Ben. “You laugh… but you’ll never realize how much sex you _aren’t_ having... until you’re around the two of them.”

“Hey, we gave them a run for their money back in our day,” Poe said with a wink, nudging her.

“Poe!” Rey exclaimed, rolling her eyes and swatting at him.

Ah, so they had dated back in the day, apparently. Damn it. Ben was in no position to potentially piss off his only friend in a new city, but damn. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get those images of her legs out of his head.

“Want a beer?” she asked the two of them.

“Yes, Rey,” Poe started. “Thank you for offering me one of _my_ beers…”

She shrugged as she handed her phone to him as consolation, and turned around, opening a kitchen cabinet. She clearly knew where things were around here and she was clearly comfortable enough to get things on her own. Standing up on her toes, she reached for a basket on the top shelf and that damn shirt of hers started to rise again. Ben finally realized the back of her shirt read, Maid of Honor. Below her shirt, he could so clearly see two dimples on either side of her spine just above her ass. Poe was clearly more interested in something on Rey’s phone than checking her out, so that was a relief.

“Let me help you,” Ben said, desperate for her to stop reaching. He retrieved the basket with ease from the top shelf and handed it to her. She thanked him, giving him another gorgeous smile before placing the basket on the counter and fishing for three koozies to keep their drinks cold.

Poe cackled at something on Rey’s phone and she turned her attention to him, stepping so that her front was more or less pressing into his side. She was physically way too close to him. “What is Rose doing in this picture?”

“Oh my god! Okay, show Ben before I tell this story.” Poe handed the phone over to Ben and he immediately laughed at the photo of a small smiling girl in a white sundress and fluffy veil sitting on a bar stool with dollar bills surrounding her. They were in her hands, on her lap, hanging out of the top of her dress, and on the bar behind her. She had her mouth open and was holding fistfuls of dollar bills on either side of her face. “Okay, so we’re at this bar, and one of Rose’s friends decided it would be a good idea to just start telling guys that it’s Rose’s bachelorette and that they should just give her a dollar. So we all started doing it and before we knew it, we had so many dollars, we just plopped her on a bar stool and had a photo shoot. There’s some very unflattering photos of me from said photo shoot coming up.”

Poe started swiping through the pictures even faster and Rey laughed as she turned back to the beer bottles, plopping each one in a koozie, and popping the caps. She handed the first beer to Ben and his fingers grazed hers as he took the bottle. He pulled his hand away as quickly as possible, bringing the bottle to his lips immediately. He wasn’t sure if alcohol was going to help or hinder his situation, but he needed something to occupy his mind other than Poe’s ex-girlfriend.

Rey handed Poe a beer bottle dressed in a koozie and he took a sip as he continued to scroll, nearly spitting out his beer as he paused on one picture. He swallowed the gulp before slamming the beer onto the counter top. He zoomed in on a picture and nearly screamed. “Is this you she’s taking a body shot off of?!”

Rey took the phone from him. “Ah, I think picture time is over,” she said laughing.

“No, no, no,” Poe said, snatching it back. “This is you! Ben, look at this.”

Were these two trying to kill him, he wondered as he took the phone. Sure enough, there was Rey, lying on a bar, her shirt pulled up to just below her breasts. She had her head turned at the camera and a lime slice in her mouth. He could tell she was smiling as the girl dressed in white with the costume veil, held herself on all fours over Rey, licking some kind of liquid off her stomach, her pink tongue dragging along Rey’s bronzed skin.

“Is there a video of this?” Poe asked as Rey lunged for the phone. “Ben, quick! See if there’s a video!”

Rey laughed, her hands wrapping around her phone as she wrestled Ben for it. He finally let it go and she cleared her throat before composing herself. She flipped her hair out of her face, shoved her phone into her back pocket, and straightened out the front of her tiny denim shorts. “Picture time… is over,” she stated matter of factly. “Now, have you guys decided to stay in with me instead of going out, yet?”

Poe and Ben looked at one another and Poe sighed. “Is that cool with you?”

Ben shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine.” If he was being honest, Ben didn’t care what they did tonight, but he was thankful he was going to get a little bit more time with Rey. She pressed her own beer to her lips, her gorgeous mouth wrapping around the bottle as she threw it back.

“You have to show us the video though,” Poe said causing Rey to laugh.

Realizing Ben still had his shopping bags in hand, he took a quick detour to drop them off just inside the door of his empty apartment. When he returned, they ordered pizza and Rey wedged between them on the apartment’s only couch. Ben was thrilled with the attention she paid to him anytime she asked him about his life or his big move. She seemed genuinely interested in his responses, like she wasn’t just asking to be polite. He hated small talk, but her tone was so genuine, and her listening was so authentic.

It was so easy to talk to her. He’d never had so many follow-up questions prepared for any conversation, but she considered them all and answered thoughtfully. Ben appreciated that. He chose not to dive too deeply into his responses with her, attempting to keep the conversation as light as possible for the time being. He wondered if Poe was bored with their conversation as they carried on just the two of them, talking about things Poe already knew. Or, he worried, if this is how Rey was with everyone- social and entertaining. He secretly hoped not. But she was so cute and sweet, and she laughed at so many of the things he said that he really didn’t think were all that funny.

“Are you coming to the pool tomorrow?” she asked him. Rey purposely planned Rose’s bachelorette for a holiday weekend, giving the girls their Monday off to recover. “And do you like tequila?”

“That’s the plan,” he said coolly. “And… I do?”

“Great, because I make these margaritas-”

Poe scoffed, cutting her off. “Ben, start hydrating now.”

“Hey!” Rey exclaimed. “They’re good. I never get any complaints from you when I make them.”

“I would never,” he said with a wink and Rey rolled her eyes.

Ben excused himself to go to the bathroom and once he was out of earshot, Rey turned to Poe. “So, I’ve been thinking… in three short months, your roommate is moving in with my roommate, leaving you with an extra bedroom, and leaving me homeless.”

“Uh huh…” Poe started skeptically.

“So, what if I just moved in here?”

“Wow, that might be the worst idea I’ve heard all day,” Poe joked. She looked at him and pouted. “Rey, our relationship ended on such bad terms, and I feel like we just got back to normal. I don’t want to do anything to screw that up.”

“What would screw that up? We broke up a year ago!”

“Just being roommates in general. Not to mention, if you brought a guy home, I would kill him.”

“And how often do I do that?” Rey asked. “Need I remind you that I have not been with anyone since we broke up, and if my memory serves me correctly, you’ve been with several.”

“And that drove you crazy, Rey!”

“Ok, but it won’t now. I’m over it. But honestly, Poe, I can’t afford to live here by myself, and I don’t want to move out of this complex,” she reasoned as Ben walked out from the bathroom. “Think about it?”

Poe returned his attention to his phone as Ben plopped back down on the couch and handed a fresh beer to Rey. She quietly thanked him but didn’t say much for the rest of the evening. He hadn’t heard all of their conversation but he’d heard enough to raise no fewer than 500 questions. He wanted to know why they broke up, why things ended so badly, and how they’d managed to return to the level of friendship that appeared so natural and comfortable from an outsider’s perspective. He wondered where their relationship stood at the time. If they truly were just friends, or if enough of her famous margaritas ever made them more for the night.

It was maybe 9:30pm and they were halfway through a movie when Ben realized Rey’s breathing had evened. He looked down at her and realized she was sound asleep. Her legs were pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her knees, beer still in her hand, and her head resting on her arm. The side of her body leaned against his ever so slightly. He could feel the warmth radiating off her side as she snoozed silently.

He gently removed the beer bottle from her grasp and got Poe’s attention by snapping his fingers over her immobile body. He pointed at her and Poe dismissed her with a swoosh of his hand. “She always does this. I’ll throw a blanket over her before I go to bed. Sometimes she’ll just sleep here, sometimes she stumbles back to her apartment in the middle of the night,” he laughed. “She’s a mess.”

Ben wondered if she ever crawled into Poe’s bed in the middle of the night. Then he wondered if she would ever feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in his apartment. Preferably not alone on the couch. Mostly, he just wanted answers regarding her relationship with Poe. He thought about bringing up their relationship casually. Was he at a point where he could just ask Poe, 'so you guys dated, huh?' But he feared the millions of inquiries to follow would make him look suspicious, and he was fairly certain when it came to Rey, he’d rather ask for forgiveness than permission.

He knew one thing to be true- he was definitely overthinking things. When he stood up, he guided her sleeping body onto the couch and helped Poe with the empty beer bottles and pizza boxes. On his way out the door, he covered her with a blanket as Poe retreated to his own bedroom.

Ben turned the light off in his bedroom before laying down on his mattress. His bed had yet to be delivered, so his mattress would have to do. He bent his arm back and rested his head on his palm, looking up at the ceiling. He couldn’t help but think about her. He’d met pretty, fun, entertaining girls before, but none of them intrigued him quite like Rey did. He didn’t want to get too ahead of himself, but he could have sworn he caught her gaze lingering a minute too long and he knew his jokes weren’t funny enough to earn the laughs and smiles that they did.

Maybe he could get more answers out of her at the pool. He prayed a couple of her margaritas would give him the liquid courage to find the answers he was looking for. It wasn’t like he could go to Finn or Poe for advice on this one. No, tomorrow, tequila would have to be his wingman. He just hoped there would be salt and limes to cut the burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this is my first time posting on AO3. I am not new to fanfiction but I am new to Reylo. Those two just DO something to me, what can I say?
> 
> Anyways, I’ll be updating this fic later this week with the second part as soon as I've got it done (it's written, it's just a hot mess). This chapter was Ben’s POV… next one will be Rey’s.  
> As I mentioned, I’m new here, so I’m always looking for fellow Reylo friends. Feel free to follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/UHadMeAt_Reylo). Or yell at me if I don’t get part two up quickly enough… To be fair, part 2 of this story is 23 pages soooooooo…….. Yeah. Also, I will update the tags when I post the 2nd part. I just didn’t want to give too much away. 
> 
> I would love to hear any thoughts so far, please feel free to leave a comment, even if it's short... I've been out of the fanfic game for a while now and could use some words lol
> 
> <3


	2. New Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I doubt Ben wants to take a body shot off of me,” Rey said through gritted teeth.
> 
> Rey could feel Ben staring at her deliberately, but she was too busy trying to see if she had magical powers and could light her best friend on fire. “I’ll do it,” he said suddenly. Poe stopped laughing, frantically looking between the two of them. “If Rey says it’s okay.”

Rey sat up and looked around, running a hand through her shoulder-length hair. She’d fallen asleep at Poe and Finn’s again, she realized with an eyeroll. Sunlight crept through the blinds in their living room and she sat up wondering when she’d fallen asleep. She didn’t remember saying goodnight to Ben last night and he was _tragically_ not with her on the couch. 

Searching around the room, Rey found her sunglasses on the kitchen counter, and popped them on her face as she headed out the door. She ran her tongue over the front of her teeth- ugh. She needed a toothbrush, a shower, and some fresh clothes STAT. Once in the hallway, she glared at the door across the hall- Ben’s door. 

She tried diving in a bit deeper about his move and what brought him here, but he only disclosed so much information, holding something back. At least, that’s how it felt as he answered her questions without elaborating much, his follow up questions pummeling her. Really, she would have loved to shut him the hell up and let him pummel her into the couch. Or the floor. Or the coffee table. Or wherever the hell his massive arms threw her. She wasn’t picky.

The apartment she shared with Rose was just one building over within the same complex, but the walk always felt especially long with the sun in her eyes, the beams reflecting off of the cars in the parking lot. She thrust her key into her own front door and pushed it open, relieved to see her best friend and her best friend’s fiance completely clothed. 

“Rey!” Finn exclaimed, giving her a hug as she walked through the door. “I heard you throw one hell of a bachelorette party.”

“I do- are you in the market for one? I still have some penis stuff left over.”

Finn laughed. “I’m sure you do. Thanks for showing my bride-to-be such a good time. You’re amazing.” Rey hugged him again. “I’m actually on my way out. What do you need from the liquor store for the pool day?”

“Tequila, and three bags of limes? Maybe four?” she replied.

He nodded. “I’ve got tequila on my list already and… four bags of limes on the list. I’ll make it happen.”

“You’re the best! Rose, you should really consider marrying this guy.”

“Ehh,” she replied, pouring a cup of coffee.

Finn kissed his fiancee before heading out the door. As soon as the door shut, Rey turned to Rose. “SO, did Finn tell you the boys made a new friend while we were gone?” 

“Oh yeah, he did… Ben, right? He said he’s a cool guy and has a really big TV.” She shrugged.

“Did Finn tell you that Ben is hot as _fuck_?” 

Rey rarely swore, so Rose’s eyes widened and she let out a laugh. “He did not mention any kind of sexual attraction to Ben, no,” Rose said.

“Ok, well if he mentions one, you can tell him to get in line.”

“Really?” Rose laughed.

“Oh yeah... and, the following happened within ten minutes of meeting him...” She held up a hand and raised one finger with each ridiculous point she made. “One- I said there were penises everywhere at the bachelorette. Two- I think… I _think_ I made a joke somewhere along the lines of forgetting what a real penis looks like. Three- he saw the body shot picture of us. Four- idiot Poe made some comment about us having a ton of sex when we dated. And then later in the night- I fell asleep on him. So… I’m off to a great start.” Rose burst with laughter at Rey’s story and Rey inhaled deeply. “It was honestly the worst first impression I could have possibly made.”

“I just have so many questions,” Rose said, wiping a tear from her eye. Rey was thrilled she found this so amusing. “Should we start with you admitting you forgot what a real penis looks like? No wait, let’s start with how did he see the body shot picture?”

“Well, I forgot that was even in there, and I gave Poe my phone to scroll through some of the sillier pictures from the weekend. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I forgot about the stupid body shot picture... I obviously wouldn’t willingly show my ex-boyfriend and potentially a new suitor _that_ picture!”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Rose said. “Who cares, it was all in fun.” Rey poured herself a cup of coffee. “So, about this Ben guy… is he into you?”

“I dunno,” Rey said with a shrug. “I kinda got the vibe that maybe he could be, but stupid Poe made that comment about us when we dated, and honestly, I feel like that just adds to the list of reasons Ben would lose interest in me. See previous conversation for details on other reasons.”

Rose shrugged. “I don’t think he would care about any of that. None of it was a big deal. But I could see how the Poe thing might deter him. You know, bros before hoes and all that. Why do you say he potentially could be into you?”

Rey went into detail about how she felt Ben staring at her multiple times throughout the night. Not in a creepy or voyeuristic way, but in a studious way. Like he wanted to learn the curves of her face. She mentioned that overall, he seems like more of a quiet guy, but spent the whole night talking to her anyways about everything and nothing. Maybe he was just being nice… or maybe he really was a creep.

Regardless, Rose told her she needed to figure it out and that the pool day would be the perfect opportunity. She offered to help by laughing loudly at Rey’s jokes, telling stories of what a good friend and human she is, and ‘slipping’ and ‘accidentally’ pulling Rey’s top off. The latter option was not appreciated by Rey. 

“Do you think there would be an issue with Poe?” Rose asked.

Rey sighed. “Rose, I don’t even know if this guy is interested in me. So let’s jump off that bridge first, and then we’ll worry about Poe. Besides, Poe hurt _me_.”

“You’re right, I just hope he doesn’t say any more stupid shit if you and Ben are flirting or something. I could kill him for you? I’ve offered before... it still stands. Best man or not.”

“Hmm,” Rey considered it. “Let me get back to you on that one.” Rose laughed. “And I’m not going to go out of my way to flirt with him, Rose. Like I said, I don’t even know if he’s interested. I could not have shown up looking like more of a mess yesterday, and he seems so… he’s just so together. Like he’s got it, you know?”

“So you’re telling me, there’s going to be a hot guy at the pool who you’re interested in and you’re _not_ going to flirt with him.”

“I didn’t say _that_ ,” Rey said. “I’m just saying… don’t be surprised if I’m not wearing a one-piece suit today.”

Rose giggled. “I just want you to be happy, Rey,” she said. 

While Rey knew that to be true, she also knew Rose suffered a lot of guilt after the breakup with Poe. She had been the biggest proponent of Poe and Rey getting together, and had remained their biggest cheerleader while they tested their romantic relationship. When it started to crumble, Rose encouraged them to work things out, that everything would be fine! The night they ended things for good, Rose convinced Rey it was only temporary and that they’d figure it out and get back together. 

Then she had to deal with Rey once it became very clear they could not just figure things out and get back together. 

Rey dug through her closet, looking for the white bikini she had in mind. It really wasn’t anything special, but it was small, and barely covered her ass, and the white really popped against her tanned skin. She stood in front of her mirror as she tied the top’s strings behind her back before adjusting the triangle cups over her breasts. She did a quick shimmy to make sure the fabric stayed in place and briefly considered double-knotting the strings around her neck in case Rose really was planning on ‘slipping accidentally.’ Her pink cover-up felt cool against her skin as she threw it over her head and tossed her hair into a messy bun.

The girls walked down to the pool, all the while, Rey begged Rose to act natural. Don’t stare, don’t be obnoxious, basically… just to ignore all of her natural instincts. While she was hoping the tequila provided her with a bit more liquid courage than the beers had, she wasn’t sure what she was ultimately hoping for at the pool- maybe just a few normal interactions with Ben. Preferably ones that didn’t involve gaudy penis talk, or body shot pictures. 

“Well, well, well,” Poe said as Rey and Rose stepped through the gate and onto the pool deck. Rey looked up, readjusting the towel thrown over her arm and waved. Ben and Finn stood on either side of him behind the pool’s small unattended bar. “If it isn’t the body shot queens… and what do you know? I just so happen to have some tequila, salt, and limes right here on this lovely bar. Can we get a reenactment?”

Well, so much for that.

Rey rolled her eyes as she dropped her pool bag on an empty lounge chair in the bar’s general vicinity. The boys resumed their discussion as they set out some limes and salt. “Hoooo-ly _shit_ ,” Rose whispered in Rey’s ear. “He is smokin’.”

Rey looked over her shoulder and lowered her sunglasses down toward the tip of her nose. She peeked over the top of the lenses as Ben reached one arm over his head and behind his back to lift his shirt up and over his head. She sighed as his wide chest came into view. His toned abdomen beckoned her, and the trail of black hair that started at his belly button and disappeared several inches lower, under his swim trunks simply taunted her. Her eyes flicked back up as she took in his defined face, and those supple lips. She wondered how those lips would feel on her own, on her neck, on her nipples, on every inch of her body.

“Fuck, this is going to be a long day,” Rey whispered back, refusing to look away. How dare he stand there in his black sunglasses and low-riding swim shorts all... all… shirtless and tall?

“Then get out there and torture him right back,” Rose said. “I saw you went with the white bikini. That seems calculated.”

Rey giggled as Poe screamed her name from the bar across the deck. She looked over. “Reyyyyy!” he yelled again. “Can you come make us margaritas?”

Rey rolled her eyes as she turned on her heel and Rose grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. “Take your coverup off before going over there. I’ll let you know if he checks you out.”

Rose kept her eyes in Ben’s direction as she walked away from Rey toward the bar to get a closer look. Rey watched Finn introduce Rose to Ben and she waited for that interaction to end before making her move.

She bunched her knit coverup in both hands before pulling it up and over her head, revealing her tiny white bikini. She shook her hair out of her messy bun and ran a hand through it, scratching the pieces back into place before looking down, ensuring that everything that was supposed to be covered actually was. Throwing the coverup on her chair, she sauntered over to the boys.

As she approached, Rose took a step behind the three men and pointed obnoxiously at Ben before cocking her head to the side and letting her tongue fall out of her mouth with a thumbs up. Rey laughed at her ridiculous best friend and she couldn’t help but notice as Poe and Finn turned around to see what Rose was up to. Ben, however, kept his eyes on her.

“So Ben,” Finn said as Rey started pouring out shots of tequila, and started cutting up lime slices. “You’re new here, but you should know that we start every pool day with a tequila shot.” 

Poe added, “And Rey is our bartender, so you can bug her for drinks.”

“First of all,” Rey said as she passed the shots around. “I am only bartender for margaritas because mine are the best. Any other drink, you’re on your own. And second of all, since you’re new, you have to take two shots.”

The group laughed, including Ben. “Damn, Rey. You trying to get me drunk?” he asked, taking the plastic shot cup from her. 

“May-be,” she said in a sing-song voice, holding up her own cup. 

Poe toasted, “To finally getting all of those penis decorations out of my house!”

Great, now Rey was 2/2 on subjects she was hoping didn’t come up. 

Everyone brought their shots together, the plastic clanking quietly, before throwing them back. Rose stepped away after sucking the lime juice from her wedge, and wandered back over to the row of pool chairs their group claimed. “Poe, Finn, come help me get these set up,” she said, tossing a smile in Rey’s direction. 

“Wait!” Poe called. “Should we get Rey on the bar for the next shot?”

Rey smacked Poe’s arm and the boys went after Rose. Rey started measuring out ingredients for five margaritas, a little heavy-handed with the tequila, like always. “How can I help?” Ben asked.

She handed him a handheld juice press and a bag of limes. “You can start squeezing,” she told him. _If only_ , she thought. “Oh wait, you have to take a second shot!”

“Nooo,” he told her, smiling. His smile woke the sleeping butterflies in her stomach, and they went bananas over the smile lines that framed his lips like parentheses. She started pouring a shot anyway, and he conceded. “Ok, but only if you take another one as well.”

“Damn, Ben,” she said. “You trying to get me drunk?”

“Definitely,” he said, laughing. She laughed as well, but couldn’t tell how serious he was. Not necessarily in a serial killer kind of way, but more so in a- just kidding… but seriously- kind of way.

He took the shot from her, along with a fresh lime wedge and held it to hers. “To new friends,” he said, touching his cup to hers. 

_Friends_ , she repeated in her head as she threw it back. 

Ben helped her make the margaritas under her supervision, of course. He squeezed limes and salted the rims of each cup for her. The pair served the drinks together. Ben took two to Poe and Finn in the pool before sliding into the water with them, quickly joining their conversation. Rey sat on the lounge chair next to Rose, handing her a drink and taking a sip of her own. Her head fell back against the lounge’s pillow, and the sun hit her skin. 

“I ship it,” Rose declared. 

“Ship- you what?”

Rose laughed. “I ship you and Ben.”

“Oh, god,” Rey said. “I should have never said anything to you.”

“Yes, you should have because I would have been way more awkward about how much he stares at you, including right now… if I didn’t know.” Rey lifted her hand to block the sun. “No, don’t look! But he is.”

Rey sighed. “Well, he just called me his friend over there, so…”

“So what? You’re friends now. By morning, you’ll be more.”

“By _morning_?” Rey exclaimed. “Rose. I just met him yesterday.”

“So?” Rose asked. “Live a little, Rey. You could probably stand to get laid, considering you haven’t even been on a date, let alone had sex with anyone since Poe. And you know what they say… the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”

Rey laughed so loudly, she gained the attention of the three men chatting in the pool. Finn asked what was so funny, but they ignored the question. “Okay, first of all, I’m one-thousand percent over Poe. I just… I haven’t found someone else I like enough to get _under them_ , as you so eloquently put it.” She thought about it for a moment. “It has been a long time though, hasn’t it? I can’t believe it’s been a year.”

Rose shrugged. “You guys did break up last summer.”

Rey bit her lip and took a long sip from her margarita. It _had_ been a long time, and she knew her relationship with Poe damaged her more than she’d like to admit. She agreed wholeheartedly when they’d broken up, but she had to admit, she did not handle the aftershocks very well. Rey watched Finn lift himself out of the pool and drip his way over to them. Rapidly, he shook his hands, ensuring he flung the maximum amount of water onto the girls.

Rose started to protest and he sat down, rubbing various wet body parts on her- arms, legs, hips, etcetera. Rey looked over to watch him lower his body onto hers and plant a huge kiss on her lips. It looked wet and sloppy and she was over it. She padded over to the edge of the pool where Poe and Ben were standing and sat at the edge, dipping her legs in the water. She bit the straw in her drink and stared into the water. 

Her trance was broken by Poe’s hand waving inches from her face. “Earth to Rey!”

“Sorry,” she said. “What?”

“I said, this is probably the best margarita I’ve ever had,” Ben said.

“Oh, good!” she exclaimed. “Well, you helped make them!”

Poe hoisted himself out of the pool after announcing he needed to take a leak and Rey watched him walk away before slipping into the water, ensuring her margarita stayed afloat. She rested her elbow on the edge of the pool deck and noticed Rose sit up to watch from where she sat on her lounge chair, nearly pushing Finn out of the way so she could see.

“Hey, I wanted to apologize for last night.” Rey said, swirling her foot in the water. Ben looked confused. “For falling asleep so early. ...and kind of falling asleep on you.”

“Don’t sweat it. You just came back from hosting a party for someone else for a whole weekend. I’m sure you were exhausted. And you didn’t, really, I just didn’t move my right arm for an hour or so.”

“I just want you to know I’m more fun than that.”

“Oh I know. I saw the picture,” he teased. 

“Oh no!” She covered her face with her free hand. “Ok, well that’s not me either, I’m somewhere in between falling asleep at nine p-m and body shots.”

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the in-between Rey.” He flashed her a genuine smile causing her to do the same. Her stomach flipped, those damn butterflies sneaking up on her again.

She kicked her leg out under the water and swirled it around. She didn’t mean to graze her foot along Ben’s calf, but she smiled guiltily when she did and he chuckled before foregoing his straw and downing the rest of his margarita.

“So... you and Poe, huh?” he asked, breaking the silence, and chewing on a piece of ice.

Rey inhaled, letting the breath out as an exasperated sigh. “Yeah. That was a mess.” He gave her a questioning look. 

“Why’s that?”

Rey hesitated. She returned her attention to her foot as it swirled under water. She wasn’t sure how much information she wanted to divulge here- for her sake, and for Poe’s.

“To make a long story short- the four of us have been friends for a long time, and a couple of years ago, Finn and Rose got together, then went on a crusade to get Poe and me together. So, we gave it a shot and we were really only together for a few months. We had a lot of fun, but that’s all there was. There was no depth to the relationship, you know?” He nodded. “So, we agreed to break things off, and it was very mutual, so I think we both thought it would be an easy transition back to friendship, but it got pretty messy and awkward.” 

Ben was hanging on her every word. 

“Basically, he slept with someone else the night we ended things. And we were broken up, so it is what it is, but that really destroyed me. I thought he was my best friend and that he’d be there for me, and maybe it was naive of me to think that, but when I found out some other girl was in his bed hours after we ended things…” Ben nodded, eyes wide. “Anyways, we’re great now, better friends than we’ve ever been and we’re both in a healthy, happy, over it all place.”

“And that’s all you are now?” he clarified. “Friends?”

“Yeah,” Rey shrugged. “When Rose and Finn got engaged, we decided there were just so many more important things going on than our relationship drama. I mean, he's the best man, I’m maid of honor. With all the wedding stress, I didn’t want them worried whether Poe and I would be able to keep it together or not.”

“That’s… mature,” Ben said. 

She nodded, “Well, I do run deeper than body shots and throwing parties with penis paraphernalia.” Ben laughed. “I realize that was your first impression of me and now I’m kinda wishing I could change that.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I wouldn’t want you thinking of me unfavorably. That’s really not who I am.”

“It was a bachelorette party,” Ben said with a shrug. “I could only think less of you if you _didn’t_ shower your best friend with penises and let her take rum shots off of you.” 

Rey laughed, “They were tequila…” 

He laughed, too, and nudged her shin with his foot under water. “So, you’re definitely not with Poe? Like… at all?”

“ _Definitely_ not,” Rey replied and she realized what he was actually asking. “In any capacity… at all. Not even kind of.” Ben suddenly found an interest in his hand as he held it an inch or so below the water’s surface. “What about you?” She asked. He looked up. “Girlfriend?”

“No,” he answered. “I got out of a pretty messy relationship myself. Then I moved here to start fresh.”

Rey has to admit she was mildly disappointed. His fresh start probably didn’t include getting involved with someone the first week of moving but she couldn't help but wonder. At least, it seemed, he was finally opening up to her a bit more. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rey said. “What happened?” Ben looked at her. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. You definitely don’t want to talk about it.”

“No, it’s ok. I asked you,” he said. “She uh... she cheated on me.” Rey furrowed her brow. “With my best friend.” She closed her eyes, considering his words. 

“I’m sorry,” Rey said. “But I’m also very confused- has she seen you?”

He laughed. “I could say the same for you about Poe over there.” Rey felt her cheeks warm and she looked down. “Anyway, we were together for two years. I came home early from work one day and there they were- on the floor of the living room. God, it sounds so cliche to say it outloud, but it turns out they’d been sneaking around behind my back for months, and it was my best friend, you know?” Rey has so many questions but she felt it best to not delve into logistics of the living room floor. “I really felt like I’d lost everything in that moment. So the next day, I asked my boss for a transfer, and it took a lot longer than I thought it would, but now here I am.”

“Ben,” she said quietly. “That’s-“

“That was about three months ago, so I’ve made my peace with it,” he said. “You know, I realized, I really don’t need people like that in my life, and there was nothing keeping me there anymore. I got some space, I’m in a new city, I start in the new office next Monday, and I like it here so far.”

“Well, then, that’s good.” Rey didn’t know what else to say. 

“The people I’ve met are pretty great here, too,” he admitted, causing her to smile.

“Rey!” Finn yelled. “We need more margaritas!”

“Although, I can tell I’m going to have to increase my tequila tolerance if I’m going to be hanging out with this group.”

She giggled. “That’s true. I can help you with that.” He granted her a smile in return, one so wide, she could nearly count all of his teeth. Both smile lines appeared at the corners of his mouth, like parentheses, drawing focus to his full lips. 

Ben placed his cup on the pool deck before planting his hands on the ledge and lifting himself up out of the water. She bit her lip as his wet swim trunks clung to his ass and thighs, riding lower on his hips than when they were dry. He turned around and offered her his hands. She smiled as she reached up so he could wrap his hands around her wrists, and clutched his forearms as he pulled her up out of the water like she weighed nothing.

She landed but lost her footing and fell into him, laughing as he caught her. He laughed as well, his hand lingering a moment too long on hers.They noticed simultaneously and he dropped her hand, mumbling an apology as they both headed for the bar. 

Rey reached for the tequila bottle as Poe fired up the grill. Ben stepped behind Rey to sneak by, and placed both of his hands on her hips as he slid past her. She leaned into his grip ever so slightly and he squeezed her hips in return. A bolt of fire seemingly coursed through his fingertips, through her sides and met between her legs.

She looked over her shoulder at him and he winked at her as he joined Poe at the grill, slapping his shoulder and asking how he could help. The effects of her first margarita and two shots were catching up to her as she started measuring out tequila for more drinks. 

With every lime she squeezed, she stole a glance at Ben. He was loitering near the grill with the other boys as Poe placed a row of hamburgers on the grill’s rack. He laughed at something Finn said and she wished she was in on the joke. She hoped she hadn’t tarnished his opinion of Poe with her breakup story, but they appeared to be fine. 

“Bottoms up,” Rey announced as she approached the group, balancing three cups between her two hands. 

She handed a cup to Finn, who stepped back to make way for her. She didn’t immediately hand one to Ben, despite where he was standing. Instead, she turned her back to him, and sidestepped between his body and the grill, ensuring her ass brushed against the front of his pelvis. She bent forward, ever so slightly to hand Poe his drink. She could feel Ben’s wet swim trunks on the tops of her thighs, but he didn’t step away. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but she swore she felt him push his hips into her. 

Rey heard Ben exhale loudly from behind her as she stood up straight and side stepped away, handing him his drink before walking away. She heard the boys thank her, and she knew he was watching her walk away, so she turned around to say, “You’re welcome!” and made eye contact with Ben before she slipped the tip of her pointer finger into her mouth, sucking off the extra lime. She kept her finger in her mouth a second or two longer than necessary, and slipped it out with a ‘swak’ before turning around and joining Rose on the loungers.

Rose sipped her margarita the second Rey handed it to her. Rey sat on the lounge next to her best friend and sighed. “I saw that,” Rose said.

“Saw what?”

“You grinding against Ben over by the grill,” Rose said quietly, with a smirk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rey said, leaning back against the backrest.

“Okay,” Rose said. “But I will say this… if my fiance had been standing where Ben was standing and you pulled that… I would have killed you both.” Rey took a sip of her margarita and let her head fall back against the lounge’s small pillow. “Ben’s still staring at you, by the way,” Rose informed her and Rey couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face.

Once the burgers were done, the group reconvened at a square table near the grill with an umbrella casting shade below. Rey put her plate down first and stood at the table, waiting for her friends to join her. Ben approached and placed his hand on her lower back as he circled around the table to drop his plate. His hand set her skin on fire for just a moment, as he dipped his pinky finger just barely under the fabric of her bathing suit bottoms. He slid his finger across her skin before removing it quickly and sitting down. The rest of the group followed, and she was thankful for the distraction. Glancing down at her half-consumed margarita from where she stood, she decided to change things up. 

“I think I’m switching to beer,” she announced. “Can I get anyone else one?”

Finn’s hand shot up in the air. Rose mumbled something about finishing Rey’s margarita, and Rey felt a warm hand gently touch her outer thigh. His hand was so big, it nearly wrapped all the way around her thigh, his fingers resting just below her ass. “I’d love one,” Ben said, his fingertips lightly pressing into her skin, and she noticed one of her bikini strings was trapped under his thumb, “Can I help you with those?”

Her breath caught in her throat as she shook her head and headed in the direction of the cooler. When she returned, she placed her beer down on the table alongside Ben’s. She remained standing as she reached across the table, placing Finn’s beer in front of him with her left hand, her chest stretching out at eye-level, mere inches from Ben’s face. He cleared his throat and found a sudden interest in popping open his beer can, but she caught his eyes flickering up at her a couple of times before she sat down.

The group ate mostly in silence, thankful to finally have some food to absorb the alcohol they’d consumed all afternoon, and the sun began to set as Rey leaned back in her chair and nursed her beer. “We should play a game!” Rose suggested.

Everyone groaned. 

“Rose, things never end well when you suggest we play a game,” Poe stated. “Either someone gets hurt or we wind up learning something about someone we never wanted to know.”

Rey shuddered at the things she’d learned playing Never Have I Ever with them.

Rose pouted and looked at Finn for support, but he just laughed. “Sorry, I’m with Poe on this one. You guys are way too competitive.”

“You guys?” Rey repeated with air quotes. “I’m sorry, did you or did you not throw the remote control through your television set when you lost at Monopoly? And then somehow, we all had to pitch in for a new one?”

“Okay, well, that’s because Poe wouldn’t stop buying every property!”

“That’s how you play!” Poe yelled. 

“Alright, alright, guys, calm down,” Rey said laughing. “Happy thoughts. That’s a distant memory. We’re not playing it.”

“Ben, truth or dare,” Rose said suddenly.

Rey’s head snapped up toward her best friend, and was about to protest when Ben said, “Dare.”

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck_ , Rey thought.

“I dare you,” Rose slurred slightly as she pointed at him. “To take a body shot off my girl, Rey here, and get the image of me out of these boys’ heads.”

“Okay, well, _that’s_ not going to happen,” Poe said laughing.

_Damn it, Rose_ , Rey cursed her internally.

“What’s not going to happen? The body shot or erasing the image?” Finn asked as he and Poe laughed harder.

“I doubt Ben wants to take a body shot off of me,” Rey said through gritted teeth.

Rey could feel Ben staring at her deliberately, but she was too busy trying to see if she had magical powers and could light her best friend on fire. “I’ll do it,” he said suddenly. Poe stopped laughing, frantically looking between the two of them. “If Rey says it’s okay.” Rey’s head snapped toward Ben’s, making eye contact with him. “Only if she agrees, though,” he repeated.

His reiteration of needing her consent woke up the butterflies again. She could barely hear Rose say something along the lines of, _a dare’s a dare_ , and she took a deep breath in. “Get the tequila,” Rey said with a wave of her hand.

Poe noticeably flinched as Rose jumped up. Rey and Ben followed Rose over to the unattended pool bar. “You don’t have to do this,” Ben said quietly on their way over.

“I know,” she said with a smirk, pushing forward any ounce of confidence she possibly could. “Neither do you.”

“Rey, where would you like your salt?” Rose asked as Poe and Finn joined them, standing several feet away from the front of the bar. 

She looked up at Ben. “Any preference?”

He threw his hands up. “I feel like that’s a trap.”

Rey laughed. “My thigh, I guess.” She hopped up onto the bar and lay back with one foot flat on the bar, her leg bent at the knee. She bent her opposite knee as well, letting it fall towards the back side of the bar, not ready to give the bystanders a show. Rose rubbed a lime wedge on the inside of Rey’s thigh and Rey growled at her. “Lower.” Rose rolled her eyes, but complied, rubbing the lime wedge just an inch below her initial spot, and much to her chagrin, an inch closer to Rey’s knee. Rey sighed knowing that’s as good as she was going to get. Rose sprinkled some salt on the citrus and put the lime wedge in Rey’s mouth, fruit out. 

Rose beckoned Ben over to the bar and in one swift, fluid motion, he climbed up, sitting back on his heels as he looked down at her. Rey’s heart was pounding in her chest as Ben sat there, staring at her, _devouring_ her body with his eyes. If she didn’t have a lime in her mouth, she would have bit her lip so hard, she drew blood. Instead, she dug her fingernails into her palms. She pressed so hard, she could feel the nail of her ring finger bend slightly. 

Rose held the tequila bottle over Rey and asked her if she was ready. Rey removed the lime from her teeth temporarily to ask, “Why do I keep finding myself in this position?”

“Shh, sweetie,” Rose said, pushing Rey’s wrist towards her mouth. 

“It was hotter when it was Rose,” Poe mumbled. 

“For the record,” Ben said, pointing at Poe from his perch on the bar. “I agree.”

Rey laughed and Rose poured tequila into her belly button, and onto her hollowed stomach. Rey could barely see the liquid over her protruding ribs, but she could feel it- it was _freezing_. Rose stopped pouring, and Ben looked up at Rey. Their eyes connected as he lowered himself and she winked at him. 

Ben’s tongue approached the skin of her inner thigh in near slow-motion, until the tip finally made contact, licking up the salt in one slow, torturous lap. Her opposite leg reflexed, and pushed into his side gently. She forced it upright, but all she really wanted to do was wrap both of her legs around him and keep him on top of her. Rey nearly wished she had let Rose put the salt where she wanted it. He climbed up her body, placing his arms on either side of her and holding himself up, his chest between her legs. 

Rey giggled as he sucked the tequila out of her bellybutton, licking the skin around it to ensure he got it all. The muscles in her stomach contracted under his touch. His biceps bulged as he dropped back down for another lick, catching some of the liquor that dripped down her side. For the most part, he held his weight off of her, but his lower half was resting on hers and the pressure on her hips nearly made her cry out. Rey could feel his forearms flex against the sensitive skin of her sides and she swallowed hard. She dug her fingernails into her palm to keep herself quiet.

She watched his eyes darken as he climbed up her body and lowered his head to take the lime wedge from between her teeth. His chest floated just millimeters above hers, and when she remembered to breathe, her breasts pushed up and into him. Rey could taste the residual tequila on his lips as they grazed hers. He sucked the juice from the lime and pulled away, removing the rind once he had finished. 

He tasted like citrus and tequila and smelled like hope and summer.

Rose clapped obnoxiously from behind the bar, her noises muted as Rey looked up into Ben’s eyes from where she lay. She watched his own eyes drop down, taking in her body again, and she had to use every ounce of self control she could muster to not let her planted leg fall to the side for him. She dug her fingernails even harder into her palm.

“Okay, Rose’s turn! Rey, stay where you are!” Poe exclaimed as Ben hopped off the bar. Rey sat up, letting her feet dangle off the edge and rolled her eyes at him. Ben offered her a hand and Rey took it as she hopped down, her knees nearly giving out on her as she landed.

Once the sun had set, the group retreated to the hot tub. It was small, but they all fit comfortably in a circle. Rose was boring Ben with wedding details, but he was a good sport and laughed when appropriate, he nodded along, and was outraged when the wedding planner suggested- what? How dare she? 

Rey was lost in thought, having already heard (or been a part of) these stories. She couldn’t shake the feel of Ben’s tongue on her thigh, his weight on hers as he lowered himself onto her, the darkness in his eyes when he reached for the lime. She was thankful she was sitting in water, but the hot tub’s wetness paled in comparison to the pool of slick that lingered beneath her bathing suit bottoms.

“Right Rey?” she heard Rose ask, snapping her from her trance. “The menu stuff- I’m on top of it, right?” 

What the hell were they even talking about? Chalking the conversation up to alcohol, Rey didntt even attempt to answer. “Sweetie, I love you, but you managed to lose a hundred and fifty chair bows, you ordered too many bridesmaid bouquets and you’re wasting our money. You’re not allowed to be on top of things anymore,” Finn said, kissing Rose on the side of the head.

“Well, that’s no fun,” Rey said quietly before taking a sip of her beer. Ben let out a small laugh as he turned his head to look at her. “Was that out loud?” she asked, looking at her beer bottle. 

“I didn’t lose them!” Rose protested. “I just forgot where I put them.”

Rey returned to her half-listening state when suddenly, she felt something on her thigh underwater. She looked down and from the corner of her eye, she saw Ben’s bicep flex as he pulled his hand away. She looked up as Poe started a joke, and then she felt it again, only this time, she was certain it was Ben’s hand… just a couple of fingers softly grazing her thigh. She looked over at him, but this time, his hand stayed where it was. She looked back at Poe, trying desperately to listen to his joke and Ben pulled his hand away, resting it on the seat space between them. 

Rey clicked her tongue, and slid her thigh slowly toward his still hand. She bumped into his fingers and saw him smile out of the corner of her eye. His hand returned to its place on her thigh and he drew tiny circles on her skin with his fingers. He continued stroking her under the water and her heart rate sped considerably.

Rose and Finn both laughed at the punchline of Poe’s joke, and Ben joined in a second later. There’s no _way_ he was able to focus on that joke. “Okay, Rey didn’t laugh at my joke, so she has to get me a beer,” Poe said.

“No,” Rey whined. “I’ve gotten everyone drinks all day.” She normally didn’t mind, but she really didn’t want to leave Ben’s touch, and feared that if she moved, he would stop. 

“I could use one, too, Rey!” Rose exclaimed, showing her an empty bottle. 

“I’ll get them,” Ben volunteered, standing up. “Who else wants one?” 

Disappointed, Rey looked up at him and he winked down at her before walking back toward the cooler. Her head was already turned in his direction, watching him intently as he dug into the ice box. On his way back, he tended to the hot tub timer, increasing the time on the jets and bubbles. When he returned, he passed the drinks around and resumed his spot next to Rey, only this time, he was significantly closer to her than he was before.

Rey waited a minute, until everyone fell back into conversation and she readjusted her position, resting her left foot on the underwater bench and bending her leg, her knee resting precariously on Ben’s thigh. His hand resumed its ministrations on the inside of her own thigh immediately. 

Chills raked through her body as he slid his hand up her leg ever so slowly. She let her eyes fall shut for just a minute as she reveled in the backs of his fingertips dragging up and down her skin. With each stroke up, his fingers climbed slightly higher. She inhaled sharply and she knew he heard her when he stopped moving temporarily. She lifted her beer bottle to her lips and took a sip as his finger touched her center. She gasped softly, and everyone turned to look at her, including Ben. His hand froze, his fingers still on her, the only thing separating his fingers from her were her thin white bikini bottoms. 

“Just... that sip was so good,” she said. “That cooler does a good job of keeping the beer cold.” Ben chuckled and Rose lifted an eyebrow in her direction. The boys remained oblivious but Rey refused to meet Rose’s eyes. 

Rey could vaguely hear Rose sharing a story from her bachelorette weekend, but all she could focus on was Ben’s hand as it resumed its marathon on her leg. He dragged his fingers back down the length of her thigh toward her knee and drew swirls and circles as it made its way back up. 

Rey could feel her back involuntarily lifting off the wall of the hot tub as he got closer and closer to where she desperately needed him to touch her. However, everytime he got close, every time she thought he was finally going to give her what she needed, he turned his hand around and headed away. 

“Fuck,” she whispered involuntarily, almost inaudibly. But he’d heard her. And he smirked.

She had never been teased like this before. She wondered if he got off on this. She wondered if he would make her beg for it. The thought was enough to cause her to bite her lip, fearing she would cry out otherwise. She knew he could sense her unease and damn it, it _was_ getting him off, she decided as he smiled guiltily out of the corner of her eye.

His hand climbed north again, and the ache she felt between her legs was nearly unbearable. She was going to need someone to touch her soon, even if she had to take care of herself. Of her own body’s reflex, her bent knee pushed down onto his thigh and with the centimeter of extra room to work with, Ben brought his finger to the line where her bathing suit bottoms met the inside of her thigh. 

Rey could feel his finger dig into her flesh a tiny bit at the junction where her inner thigh met her center and he slipped under the fabric of her suit. Then, finally, _finally_ , he touched her. And she dug her fingernails into her hand. And she brought her beer bottle to her lips. And she did everything in her power to not scream out as his finger stroked her soaked cunt. The fact that she was in a hot tub played no part in how slick she was for him, desperate for him to use anything more than just one finger. For now, she’d take what she can get. 

This was progress.

She let her head fall back and bit her lip as his finger brushed her clit. So desperate for his touch, she would have done whatever he wanted if it meant he would release her. 

Her concentration was broken as Finn said her name. “I think Rey’s got the right idea,” he said and Ben’s hand stopped. Rey picked her head up and looked at her friends, eyes wide, lips parted slightly as she tried to regain control over her breathing. “It’s time for bed, I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.” 

He thought she was sleeping, thank _god_. Rey kept her head upright as Finn stood up. She exhaled in disappointment as Ben’s hand left her completely. Reading the room, she returned her bent leg to its normal seated position, and Poe and Rose stood up as well. 

“You guys coming up?” Poe asked. 

“Uhh, I think I might stay down for a little bit longer,” Rey said, standing up in the hot tub to say goodnight. 

“You sure?” Poe asked, suspicion suddenly crossing his features as he looked from Rey to Ben, who remained seated. “I’ll walk you back to your place if you want.”

“No, that’s ok,” Rey said probably too quickly. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll make sure she gets back okay,” Ben stated. Rey looked down at him. 

“Do you guys need help cleaning up?” Rey asked. 

“Nah, we got this. Goodnight,” Finn called as he closed the cooler and started to wheel it away. Rose and Poe tossed the remaining beer bottles before following him.

“Goodnight, you two,” Rose said suspiciously. “Rey, just… be careful.”

Rey scratched the back of her neck at her friend’s warning and muttered goodnight as they walked away. Ben stood up next to her and Rey could see why he chose to stay seated. His massive erection had tented his swim trunks and the thought alone was enough to make her moan. 

The pool gate slammed shut with a jarring crash, vibrations from the aluminum fence echoing in their wake. The sound of the wheels of Finn’s cooler on the pavement grew fainter the further they walked. They waited for what felt like an eternity and when they could no longer hear the wheels, or their voices, he pounced. 

Ben turned toward Rey, his hands clutching her face and neck as though she’d disappear. Rey put her hands on his abdomen, her fingertips on fire as his muscles contracted beneath her touch. With one hand on her cheek, and the other on her neck, he roughly pulled her mouth to his, kissing her with so much veracity, if she were on solid ground, it would have knocked her over. 

He reached down and gripped the backs of her thighs, wrapping them easily around his waist, the water supporting most of her weight. She could feel how hard he was between them and she moaned into their kiss as he backed up and took a seat in the tub. 

Rey straddled him, placing a leg on either side of his and ground her hips into his, rubbing her throbbing center against his hardness. “Fuck,” he hissed, tearing his mouth off of hers. She sat up on her knees, releasing the pressure off his lower half and bringing her chest to his eye level. 

He buried his face between her breasts and she let her head fall back, a sigh tumbling out of her mouth as he cupped one in his massive hand, pushing the fabric of her bikini top up and exposing her perfectly round, perky tit, her nipple taut and begging for his attention. 

His mouth was on her a second later, sucking and nipping relentlessly. Rey tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his head against her, desperate for him to keep going. 

She could feel her lower half positively throbbing as his other hand traced her pantyline, one finger playing with the edge of her bathing suit’s fabric. “Ben,” she breathed. “Please.”

He slipped his hand down the front of her suit bottoms. One of his fingers prodded her entrance and she bucked her hips into his hand. She could feel how wet she was by how easily his fingers glided along and just when she thought she might actually have to beg, he slipped one finger inside. 

His mouth let up on her nipple just long enough to say, “So wet for me.” 

She bit her lip and nodded as he seamlessly added a second finger, pushing them both up into her slowly at first. It had been so long since she’d been with someone, his fingers felt massive inside of her. And maybe they were, but they felt so good. “You drove me crazy all day. In this tiny fucking bikini.”

He curled his fingers, pressing against her front wall and she cried out, her body lurching forward, her head falling into the crook of his neck as she rode his fingers. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it...” he breathed. “Grinding your ass into me, pushing your tits in my face.” 

“Ben,” she whimpered. Without warning, he removed his hand and stood up, gripping her thighs as tightly as he could to walk them over to the opposite edge of the tub. She groaned in protest. 

The hot tub’s water shattered around her as he lifted her up and set her on the pool deck. She kissed him, the height advantage going to her from where she sat on the edge. He kneeled on the seat. She had her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him as tightly against her as possible. 

Ben pulled his lips off of hers to plant kisses along her jawline and down her neck. He grazed his teeth down the length of her clavicle and licked the valley between her breasts, eliciting a long, quiet moan from her lips. 

With one hand on her chest, he gently pushed her back until she was lying on the pool deck, her legs hanging off the ledge and into the hot tub. His trail of kisses continued over her stomach, leaving a path of goosebumps in their wake. He nipped and licked down her protruding hip bone, over the string of her bikini bottoms and down to her thigh. 

He looked absolutely divine- his full lips teasing her, his Long black hair tickling her oversensitive skin. He locked eyes with her as he gripped one of the strings between his teeth and pulled, undoing the knot at her side. 

She bit her lip as she watched him lick the skin just above her panty line. He found the other knot on her opposite hip and undid that one in the same fashion, his chin teasing her throbbing core. 

He looked up at her before making his next move. She knew he needed her permission to continue. So, she slid one hand down to her hip and slipped a finger between her skin and the loosened tie of her bathing suit. 

“Ben... please,” she whispered for the second time that night as she allowed the tie to come undone completely. 

He pulled the front of her bathing suit bottoms down and she gasped as the night air hit her. She was positioned so perfectly for him as he grabbed her ankles and bent her legs at the knee, planting her feet on the pool deck. 

“Ben,” she begged again. 

He started by licking a straight line up the center of her throbbing cunt, earning a gasp from her that nearly killed him. She couldn’t think straight as he teased her clit with the tip of his tongue before taking it into his mouth and sucking gently, his tongue thrusting at it every so often. 

Her moans echoed around him and he looked up at her from between her thighs. Her arched back, her head thrown back, hand tangled in her hair as she allowed him to pleasure her. 

She looked down at him for a moment over her half-off bikini top and bit her lip as she watched him- so focused. She could feel a slow, steady build as his head bobbed and weaved with each lick, suck, tease, kiss. His tongue teased her, dipping in and pulling out ever so slightly. As he took her clit into his mouth once more, he looked up at her, their eye contact nearly enough to push her over the edge right there. 

She already had one hand tangled in her hair and she pulled at the roots, relishing in the pain and pull of her scalp. Her opposite hand covered her exposed breast, squeezing it as she sucked in one… two… three… four breaths of air without exhaling and all at once, she shattered. 

The waves of her orgasm ripped through her and Ben tightened his grip on her thighs, his tongue never letting up, even as she tried to squirm away from him, the sensation nearly too much. 

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lungs forgetting how to breathe; they felt like they’d run a marathon after Ben went down on her, and she licked her lips before her breathing evened out. Rey reached down to run a hand through his thick hair. 

He looked up at her as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before planting a kiss to the inside of her thigh. “That was-“ she started as she sat up. He stood up in the hot tub to meet her height and before she could finish her thought, he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and forced their lips together. Rey moaned as he opened her mouth with his tongue and she could taste herself on his lips. “Ben,” she breathed, breaking their kiss. “Take me home.” She was panting.

He smirked and nodded, running a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face. Wordlessly, he climbed out of the hot tub and Rey sloppily re-tied the strings of her bikini bottoms. She stood up and nearly lost her balance. Her knees gave out on her a bit and she laughed as she adjusted the cup of her top, covering herself. Ben handed her a towel and they were already out of the pool gate before she had it wrapped around her. 

In her post-climax, tequila daze, the walk to his door was a blur, but once they’d arrived, she couldn’t take it anymore. Ben’s hand shook with anticipation as he attempted to line up his key with the lock and not helping, Rey slid between the door and his body, pressing their fronts together. She wrapped an arm around his neck and brought his lips down on hers. The key slid into the lock but Ben took his hand off of it to pay all of his attention to her. 

He pushed her roughly against the door, nearly all of his weight leaning on her. Ben took her hands in his and pinned them high above her head, taking both wrists in one hand and holding them there while his other hand returned to his keys. He turned it, the door unlocking with a soft thud of the bolt and he pushed the door open. 

She giggled as she nearly fell inside, but his hand held her up by her wrists as he stumbled in after her. Rey’s towel fell from between them and got left outside in the hallway as Ben shut and locked the door behind them. 

He groaned as he pushed her bikini-clad body against the wall, and she could feel him hard against her hip. Rey managed to break their kiss just long enough to undo the knot on the front of his own bathing suit and push the elastic band down, over his hips. 

Barely inside his apartment, she dropped to her knees, and her eyes widened as she took in the size of him. She looked up to find him looking down at her, his hair falling into his face, and his forearm resting on the wall above her. 

Taking the base of his cock in her hand, she wrapped her lips around his tip, sucking gently before pushing her head forward, taking as much of him as she possibly could. She used her hand as an extension of her mouth and hollowed out her cheeks. 

Ben groaned above her, his forearm still keeping his balance. With his other hand, he combed his fingers through her hair, guiding her head as she took in even more of him, the tip of his dick hitting the back of her throat repeatedly. She moaned and her lips vibrated on his sensitive skin. He gasped as she continued, twisting her hand in the opposite direction with each thrust of her mouth. 

She hummed again and he tugged on her hair, her hum turning into a moan, the pain sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through her. He pulled on her hair again and she moaned again, looking up at him this time. He maintained eye contact with her until he couldn’t take the sight of her wide eyes, hollowed out cheeks, and swollen lips wrapped around him anymore. 

She felt him tug her hair again, pulling her off of him and he stood her up, slamming her into the wall. “I fucking need you,” he growled. “Now.” She whimpered as he pinned her again briefly before pulling her off, guiding her through the box-filled apartment to his bedroom. 

As they stumbled past boxes and packing material, he untied one side of her bathing suit bottoms. They swung open and fell to the floor with her steps. She untied the strings of her top as he led her backwards, hands on her hips, through the door. 

Her heel hit something and she stopped, looking down at a mattress on the floor. Ben kissed her neck, fondling one of her breasts as she observed the neatly made up mattress, complete with pillows and a comforter.

“My bed hasn’t arrived yet,” he said, his words muffled against her skin. She laughed as he pulled his lips off of her and dropped down to the mattress. 

She stepped onto the mattress, her bellybutton eye level from where he kneeled before her. Rey threaded her fingers through his thick black hair before placing both hands on his shoulders and pushing him into his back. 

She dropped down onto her own knees and straddled him, leaning down to connect their lips again. He tangled his hands in her hair as she bit his bottom lip, pulling it gently. His grip tightened on her hair and she bit him harder. 

Without warning, she broke their kiss and sat up straight. “I’m on the pill,” she said, taking his cock in her hand and lowering herself onto him. Ben nodded and groaned, his hands flying to her hips, and she let out a whimper. 

Given his size, and her lack of action over the past year, she probably should have taken that a little slower but she bit her own lip and looked down at him as he filled her, stretched her, nearly split her open. 

Ben waited for her to move first and when she finally did, he squeezed her hips, his blunt fingernails digging into her skin. Gasp after moan after sigh poured out of her mouth as she rode him, her hands on his chest for balance. His own hands found her perfect bouncing tits and he steadied them, pinching her nipples between his fingers. 

She couldn’t believe how good he felt inside of her. She’d had good sex before, great even, but it _never_ felt like this. Switching up the angle, she leaned back, resting her hands on his calves, awarding him the most incredible view of her body. 

He cursed under his breath and dropped one hand to her clit, rubbing small circles against the swollen nub. She cried out, her bounces growing unpredictable as he continued touching her exactly how she needed him to. 

“I’m-” she started. 

“Say my name when you come,” he told her. 

His command pushed her over the edge as she did as she was asked- his name spilling from her swollen lips as her second orgasm of the night raked through her body. The sensation threw her forward and she barely caught herself before slamming into him. She held herself over him, attempting to catch her breath, her hair falling on either side of her face as she continued grinding into him, squeezing every last drop out of her orgasm that she could. “Fuck, Rey,” Ben breathed. She smiled before biting her lip. 

Once her panting had subsided, Ben gripped her hips and flipped them over, falling out of her for just a moment. Thank god he didn’t have a bed yet- he flipped her sideways onto the floor, her ass still on the mattress, awarding him the most incredible angle as he thrust back into her. He looked between them, devouring her body with his eyes and pushing deeper. 

She gasped as he filled her again, hitting her everywhere she absolutely needed him to at this angle. She tilted her hips higher, pressing them into his and he groaned, taking a fistful of her hair in his hand, and balancing his weight on one arm. 

Rey cried out, the pull of her hair sending her into overdrive. She raked her nails down his back, but she didn’t draw blood… at least, she didn’t think she did. “Yes,” she breathed. “Ben, yes… harder. Please, harder! Ple-”

She knew he wouldn’t last much longer- his thrusts were growing sloppy, but he did listen to her, and he was pounding into her harder than she thought possible. Her nails pierced into the skin of his shoulders, his back, his biceps, anywhere she could grab him as her heels dug into his ass. She arched her back, pushing her chest up into his as he released her hair and braced himself, pumping one… two… three… four more times into her, his thrusts growing longer and deeper as he grunted in his own release. He collapsed onto her, his weight comforting as she attempted to control her own breathing. 

Rey stroked his hair, pushing it out of his face as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. She raked her nails down his back, more gently this time and he shivered. “Am I crushing you?” he said, pulling out of her and sitting back on his heels. 

“You weren’t,” she said softly, her mouth still open with her short breaths.

Ben ran his hand through his hair and offered her a hand. She giggled as she took it and crawled over to him. He smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “I’m glad you don’t have a bed yet,” she whispered.

Ben threw his head back and laughed. “It’s actually getting delivered tomorrow. Should I tell them to take it back?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding.

He smiled. “So you’ll be back?”

She smiled as well. “Yes.”

“Good,” he said as he lay down, stretching one arm out. Rey crawled into the gap, resting her head on his bicep and pressing the front of her body into the side of his. He sighed and she planted her chin on his chest looking up at him as he spoke, “So, I know we’re kind of working out of order here… but can I take you on a date?”

She beamed at him. “A date?”

“Yeah, like we get dressed up, I pick you up, we go to dinner, and then… see what happens.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively and she laughed. 

“Of course. I would love it.”

“Me too,” he replied, his eyes closing.

“Ben?”

“Hmm?”

Rey’s hand snaked down the center of his chest, she could feel his abdominal muscles contracting under her touch, and she continued her journey over his stomach to his cock. “Wanna see what happens… now?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eek! Well, there it is. My first ever AO3 fic… I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please let me know. This fandom is super new to me, so I hope I'm doing it justice.
> 
> In other news, I’ve been working on another one-shot inspired by a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/UHadMeAt_Reylo) prompt, so follow me for updates on that. Or for opinions on the new Taylor Swift album. Either way.
> 
> Stay safe out there <3


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